Local Governments Struggle with Hikes in Cyber Insurance Premiums 

“’We’ve been seeing the cost of cyber insurance increase for years now, but this year it went to a whole new level,’ said Michael Zurlo, president of the New York State Association of Counties and the Clinton County administrator. It’s a kind of insurance local governments can’t be without, Zurlo said…This year, Clinton County paid … Read more

Hack of L.A. Schools Highlights Complexity and Costs of Attacks on School Systems

The L.A. school system reportedly has cyber insurance, but how much it will cover is unclear. The system had failed to address security deficiencies identified in 2020. The range of costs for attacked school districts is illustrated by fall out from Baltimore’s school cyberattack. “A 2020 attack on the Baltimore schools has resulted in more … Read more

Got an Opinion on Whether the Feds Should Take a Major Role in Cyber Insurance? You’ve Still Got Time to Weigh In with the Government

From the Dept. of Treasury — SUMMARY: Over the past several years, the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) in the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) has continued its ongoing efforts with regard to both cyber insurance and insurer cybersecurity. Cyber insurance is a significant risk transfer mechanism, and the insurance industry has an important role … Read more

Got an Opinion on Whether the Feds Should Have a Cyber Insurance Program? Now’s Your Time to Comment 

“Should an existing federal insurance program (e.g., NFIP or TRIP) or other U.S. or international public-private insurance mechanisms serve as a model for, or be modified to address, catastrophic cyber incidents?’ the notice asks…The (US Treasury) Department’s Federal Insurance Office—together with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency—is soliciting feedback in preparation for a report to … Read more

Why Did the White House Decide NOT to Ban Ransomware Payments? 

“’It is so hard and so much more work needs to be done to improve the security of tech, to improve the cybersecurity of systems, that we’d essentially be pressing victims to make their payments go undercover,’ (deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology Anne) Neuberger said.” Source: US government rejects ransom payment … Read more